CHICAGO – Dwight Howard walked over to the opposite corner of the Los Angeles Lakers’ road locker room late Monday night, taking the long route because of a food table and a crush of reporters and cameras starting to clog the middle.

When he got there, over where Metta World Peace and Earl Clark were sitting, Howard raised the score sheet already clutched in his hand. His large right thumb already was planted next to the offending numbers. He didn’t have to say much, nodding to the piece of paper as he held it in front of those two teammates’ eyes.

Uh huh: 2-for-5. Even allowing for Howard’s 4-of-8 foul shooting, it was clear he was unhappy with his shot total. His opportunities to be Superman-with-a-bad-back.

With a smirk and a head shake, Howard trudged back to his corner of the visitors’ dressing room at the United Center, whereupon he huddled and whispered with some media types-slash-Dwight pals over his and the team’s miserable predicament.

That’s how the Lakers’ locker room is these days, a collection of parts laid out on tiny separate parcels of carpeted and walnut- or oak-stalled real estate. Inhabited by famous basketball players, all gathered within 20 or 30 feet of each other, but separated by resumes, agendas, histories, supporters and dueling ideas for what might end this nightly hell they’re enduring.

A Chicago team without its two All-Stars from last season — Derrick Rose and Luol Deng — had just turned a two-point game with six minutes left into a 10-point bulge with two minutes left. And so it goes.

“I don’t know [what changes can be made]. We have to look at some things — we have to change something,” said “the late” Kobe Bryant — late because the room mostly had cleared by the time Bryant emerged from the trainers area to meet the press. He still was in uniform and he slumped on the wooden seat built in his stall.

There are screens between those stalls, cut into the wooden panels to lighten the look and allow the athletes to see each other even when hunkered back on the seats. At that moment, glimpsing Bryant from the side, it looked like a Catholic confessional.

“There are so many pieces. So many things going on,” he said quietly. “It’s a little different.”

The Lakers are 17-24. Their push to an NBA championship, to thwart Miami’s title defense, to win what for Bryant would be his sixth ring, has turned into a scramble just to reach the playoffs. And who wouldn’t want to extend into spring a season as happy as this one?

Bryant was asked if he’d been blindsided by this struggle, so deep into a marvelous career. “Yeah. It hasn’t happened too often,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate throughout my career. But I’ve been through a lot of systems and players coming and going and coaching staffs coming and going. It’s just part of the process, man. You’ve got to try to stick with it and … self-assess. It’s not about making excuses.”

Fifteen minutes earlier, Pau Gasol was in yet another corner of the room — let’s see, that’d be the southeast quadrant — being asked about his “permanent” demotion from the starting lineup Monday by coach Mike D’Antoni, beleaguered and grasping for answers.

Gasol isn’t happy. He has had a target painted on his back by many Lakers fans and, with his play, he’s put some finishing touches on it too. He knows he might be dealt by the February trade deadline. But he tried for the high road. “It starts by us being on the same page,” the veteran power forward said. “Having each other’s back, just being supportive of each other. Not making excuses. Not pointing fingers.”

Or, in Howard’s case, thumbs. The reporters dispersed from their huddle around Gasol, not quite satisfied.

Steve Nash had worked the room quickly from the northwest corner. Asked if there was anything left that they haven’t tried as a fix, he said: “No. We’ve just got to get better. We’ll get better. I mean, we’ve got to get better. Go to Memphis [Wednesday] and do it.”

The point guard talked about the hiccups in the offense, the breakdowns defensively, missed shots at wrong times, his level of aggression and who needs the ball where. Then he looked up.

“Anything else? It’ll be more of the same,” Nash said, with a brief smile.

By the way, through much of this, World Peace hunched over a plate of food, wolfing it down while coming up for air for occasional words with Clark (hey, a bright spot!) or an equipment kid toting ice bags.

Nearly a month before the NBA’s big weekend in Houston, there was a distinctly All-Star feel to the visitors’ locker room at United Center Monday. Few things in sports are as exciting before such a game – all that talent brought together on one floor, the best of the best.

Few things break down and clear out as fast afterwards, though, each star back in his private orb. Whatever connections existed between them were transitory, gone in 48 minutes.

The Lakers have strung together a bunch of those locker rooms this season, All-Star postgame in search of a postseason.

175 Comments

To be honest, I don’t care about the Lakers one bit. Having said that, I do root for Dwight Howard. I wish him and Kobe the best in clearing this up and they need to start playing together in order to win. I think trading Gasol for somebody who can energize the locker room and be aggressive will lead to wins. Maybe Amare can help. He’s a great leader. Possibly, a KG or serge Ibaka type of guy. THis team needs some energy on and off the court!

Time to break this team up. The La Fakers are doing. There fans are living in the past. Time to rebuild. Trade Gasol and Nash for expiring contracts. They are too old and there careers are over. Trade Howard to the Bobcats or the Wizards for a first rond pick. He will leave this summer anyway so get something for him. Finally amnesty Bryant. He is way too old and is pitiful now. In fact he was the most selfish and overrated player of all time. He did not just ride Shaq’s coatails in the Phil Jackson era, he rode Shaq’s bridal gown train! Now he is upset that Howard can’t bail him out the way Shaq did or D’Antoni can’t make him look like less of a ballhog then Phil did. He needs a dominate superstar to do all of the hard work so he can take the credit. That is the only way he can contribute to a team, before he got old at least. Now his career is over and the Fakers need to cut their losses and just amnesty him. Rebuild with draft pics around Earl Clark and Robert Sacre with D’Antoni as the longterm coach. Stop living in the past. The Fakers are done.

trade ballhug kobe to a SG shooting above 50% and ranging 15-18 Shots a game…the one who can share the ball….
Balance is important in a team specially if it is composed of Some parastars without shine….Just beg to MIAMI’s administration how they shape the three stars into their game as one and united offence disregarding ego and considering sacrifices for a win…
Kobe’s career is finished…great turn to ashes which u cannot pick each piece and fix… Go home and plant tomatoes…
What no trade,.. I want ballhug kobe to be traded…You have problem? SonOB…. Idyot LA Losers fans?

Ouch!!! The Agony!!!! The Pain!!!! kobetards in DENIAL…. your god kobe won’t get his ring… D12 ain’t gonna give it to him…. 3 from SHAQ and his 2Finals MVP handed it to him by PAU… Now the lakers keep losing because PAU is useless so they bench him… (no) D Antoni’s only fault was He always designing a play only for kobe… in 2009 lakers vs Dwade ,kobe just got lucky throwing a fluke shot against WADE… But they only win it by a point… That time it was WADE vs the lakers… But now He can’t even prevent wade from flying!!!! Wade on the other hand keep stealing the ball out of your kobe god hands… Why is it kobe gets 1st team all defensive when he don’t defend well at all??? check defense STAT of kobe and WADE since 2003 and you get my point!!!!

The Lakers franchise just can’t handle the talent they have. They need Phil Jackson back in the drivers seat and I know I’m gonna get a lot of sheet for this but Kobe and the Lakers are stuck up pricks with too bigger egos.

The only problem in LA LA land is Mike D’antoni. He’s no coach for a team which could pretend. Let him coach the bobcats, the wizards or whatever team but Him in Los Angeles is not relevant. I think this season is lost (and maybe more is lost too…) But for the love of the game plz lakers owners get rid of Mike D’antoni!!!

The problem is DÀntoni. He is a total joke and a failure. A disgrase for this great team! It is obvious that the pitiful moustache does not know what to do, doesn`t even know which starters to put in line. The defense is non-existent… with some of the greatest defenders in the League like Kobe, Dwight, MWP, Pau… He is giving too many minutes to Kobe, which exhaust him and makes him less efficient on the defense end. Totally oblivious which players he can trust and that`s why so often changes the players and the starters. And not the last – he is not a leader of the team, obviously has no authority over the players. Total desperate loser.

Please, Mr Kuchak, fire this pathetic moustached joke as soon as possible! And save the team! Any one else will do a better job of creating a better team with these fantastic players!

Kobe should ask LeBron how he shoots 15 shots a game and scores 30 compared to kobe shooting 30 shots and only scoring 30 which anyone in the nba that would shoot 30 shots would endup scoring 50 but not kobe. The man is such a ball hog selfish player..give it up your career is done!

Lol i could only laugh at these kobe fanboys who knows knothing about basketball except defending their kobe god, if someone doesnt agree with them they just call others haters. wake up fanboys, its a KNOWN truth that kobe is a ballhog and you should accept that. 10 out of 32! while most of his teammates didnt even took 10 shots, you fanboys are defending a losing battle here, carry his team? ask any good player in the nba to take 30+ shots a game and they are definitely carrying their own team as well right? lol! such a fanboys.

TOO MUCH ACQUISITIONS OF ALL STAR QUALITY PLAYERS!!! thats the main problem!!! too much salary!!! and what happened? they acquired lowly reserves to maintain the salary cap of ALL STAR PLAYERS…A team needs to be balanced in order to win.. too much of finding a better coach! pointing fingers??? BLAME THE LAKERS MANAGEMENT….

I dont care if LAL miss the playoffs this season cause i m a Laker fan and noone can take this thing from me…its time for you all start support the team as you should and the rest of the fans of other teams gtfo look for your teams and how their doing.The worst drama is here not in the lockerooms cause these guys, they wont stop getting their money!

im Tired of hearing Laker haters keep complaining that Kobe is a ballhog, that Kobe shoots too much, that they are loosing because of Kobe!! all you know nothing!!! and are nothing but haters!! because its cuz of Kobe why they are actually this close on winning some games! Kobe is the one that has been carrying his team on his shoulders as usual. Its all them other players who need to start stepping up! especially Dwight!!!! KOBE IS NOT THE PROBLEM!!!!!

the difference here is that Jordan, Stockton, Malone, Olajuwon, Duncan, Magic, Bird and other all time greats/legends is that they are a Leader. that kobe is never one and will never ever be. heck even Lebron and Durant are becoming a leader on their respective teams as well. A player will never be a legend by just being a scoring ballhog and thinking of satisfying his own ego.

How can u fire Md!!!! U owe mole brown–u would owe Md–u would owe the new COACH!! unless u can find 1 to coach this 3 ring circus for free. Lux tax is going to kill this franchise…there J’s only so much u can spend to buy a championship

How does the Lakers expect to win games without team chemistry and good defense. Moreover, I believe the Lakers shot themselves in the leg by letting coach Mike Brown go, just after five games. Even if they brought in Phil Collins- he would have experienced the same issues D’Antoni is experiencing at the moment. Kobe cannot be expected to win games alone and guard the best players or point guards of the opposing team every time. More players need to step up and they need to be consistent.

I’m just going to give my two cents here. I am a lakers fan. Have been ever since I was 8 watching that first of three back to back to back championships in the early 2000’s. That team, while may not have had the same caliber of players that this current lakers team has, knew how to play together. You can say what you want, blame the coach, blame Kobe, blame the defense, blame just straight lazyness. But there is one thing that all of those points have in common, trust. Lets start with the Coach. Sure he is a definite Offensive Mastermind and as a whole, the Lakers really haven’t been bad offensively (5th in the league). Everyone knew that Dantoni would bring an offensive plus that would hopefully jump start this team. The main thing is on the defensive side. The trust isn’t there. Nash is constantly beat at the point, that’s why Kobe declared he would guard the opposing teams point guard or primary scorer. This has worn him out as evident of his last three games where he has shot way below his season average. When a team has 4 total DPOY awards, you would think that they would hold teams than less than 101 ppg. Dantoni needs to trust in his point guard to just play ball. The lakers seem to be their best when they aren’t running plays, but just playing the game that they love. I’m not saying that this will dramatically fix their problems, but it’s a start. Trust goes into my second point. Kobe’s shooting. While he may be having a stand out year shooting wise, it often seems that other players are just standing around waiting for him to shoot. You don’t see this on any other team. Players on other teams are constantly fighting for position or cutting to the basket, anything to create confusion for the defense and to hopefully create opportunities for easy buckets. This team is lazy and does not trust. I could go on and on about the lakers poor play on offense (turnovers) and defense ( transition defense) but I just want to point out that every game the lakers have played, they have had a chance to win except when KD put up 42 against them. This team has a lot of talent and looks the best on paper, but its still a work in progress of trusting each other. Its time to put egos aside and for everyone to get on the same page. That is the only way the lakers can even get a winning streak going. Trust. I have to trust in this team to get something started. While their chances of making the playoffs are getting slimmer and slimmer, trust is the only thing that will start to save the season.

you cant compare Kobe Bryant and Micheal Jordan, they both played in different times basketball wasn’t as fast as it is now jordan didnt play against the La brons or the Durants or the Chris Paul’s Jordan was the best guard in his time and kobe in his .

Atleast Mike Brown made sure the bigs got fed and played to his strenghts. D’Antoni is just another losing coach that gets fired and shuffled around to new teams. Why the lakers would hire a veteran failure instead of a young Scott Brooks type is disappointing. Kobe needs to be limited to no more than 12 shots a game and the bigs need to be fed. Everytime Kobe takes more than 15 shots the Lakers lose. Kobe the ballhog, Why have these great big dominant players if Kobe is hogging the ball?

its the 90’s all over gain for the Lakers . just gonna have to ride this season out make some trades kobes last year who knows maybe the Lakers will pick up Durant ,Westbrook or even go after ROSE in Chicago. the Lakers are the best franchise in basketball it will be a while before we get any championships back in LA but when we do it will be in “BUNCHES”
GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish the the Lakers organization and staffs reading this and take into consideration what the fans and viewers are saying cause clearly we have a major issue all the stars and talents we have on that team yet the production level is ridiculous we are suppose to be be top contenders not struggling to make the playoffs, yes we had injuries issues, coaching system and other nuisances but by now what have we done different now that Nash is back, Howard slowly healing and all these different lineups rotations same result we’re still losing to team that we shouldn’t. I see it like this all this summer talk and acquiring all these players was a waste of time if we’re performing at this rate. I mean let’s get it together Lakers all day everyday

You cant have howard and bryant on the same team….. full stop. howard is not the superstar he wants to still be which means he wont sign. all you lakers fans will rejoice when you get rid of Pau, then you will be slapped n the face when howard leaves anyway when he looks at his numbers at the end season.

Quit putting blame on anyone but the coach and KoBrick. Kobe is old and slow, Mr Turnover waiting to happen is what Kobe is, and his Defense is a joke now, infact the Laker backcourt Defense is a Joke, That is why Denver scored 138 points with their guards penetrating, and why Miami got 68 points in the Paint, while Kobe keeps taking outside long Jumpshots. Kobe can go 100 for 100 and his percentage would still be lower than LBJ. Kobe leads the league in missed shots and turnovers. The Lakers would be fine if the coach had some balls and benched Kobe.

Dwight’s a clown, he can’t lead, all he knows how to do is be politically correct while subtly throwing his teammates under the bus.
Kobe as great a player as he is, has never been the type to be a leader. He might act like it sometimes but he’s not. And now he’s dealing with a man who has the same ego as shaq, and only half the complete skill set.
Nash is pushing 40, and can be a leader but has never deal with two diva’s.
D’antoni isn’t a championship pedigree coach, and he isn’t the accomplished psychologist that Phil was, and it shows.

This is a team without a guy they can rally behind. They’re playing leaderless, they’re playing headless. Even if by some miracle they get their game on and make the playoffs – they will not contend against any of the top 4 teams in the west.

honestly the best thing that could happen right now for the lakers is kobe getting injured for 2-3 weeks, maybe then everyone else would step up and the team could start playing like a team….either that or bringing Bernie back full time

That´s why koby never be like Michael jordan, he always thing about him… and the rest is the problema. the others players, the boss, the lakers team, the light in the arena, the girl in the front chair…

isn’t so obvious that d’antoni is a wrong coach for them? look, no offense settings for them, no defense as well, how could they win if the system being implied the coach don’t know how to do it? c’mon fire d’antoni and hire someone like the caliber of Phil,firing Brown after 5 games was a big mistake, they become worst after that, just my thought!

Put howard in the reserve list (not Gasol) and let him practice his freethrow for 4 hours! Pau you have to be aggressive, use your height, move around, block the shots! Don’t just wait for the ball to come to your way, don’t just stand up, hustle more! Geez! Dwight stop clowning around, you’re disgracg yourself! Trade Duhon, Morris and Meeks then get players like Clark who is hardworking!

I saw the Lakers play Toronto on Sunday and they were pretty woeful. My opinion on Dwight as a team mate, player and person have dropped dramatically in the last 12 months. D’Antoni was not the right choice in my opinion and now the Lakers look like a lottery pick team. The west as always is strong, I really can’t see them making the playoffs at the minute. Best time ever to be a Clippers fan, they must be ecstatic.

Are u serious? They gonna trade the best scorer in the NBA atm and a decent centre for a broken down PF and C who is still coming back from back surgery? I know Mitch Kupchuk has done some amazaing deals in the past, but this aint gonna happen unless durant has lied to everyone and he is like 35+ yrs old

….. because the rest of the league is NOT the lakers’ D-league team…anymore !! .AND with the new CBA, $ rich teams cannot just “BUY” any player/players that they want anymore !!!!! Frustrating, isn’t it? For dreamworld lakerfan.

I don’t know why everyone is saying: Fire the coach..trade Gasol..trade Howard…etc etc. And I really have no idea as well, why this team does not win. I guess chemistry is the issue here..no communication.

I used this team on NBA2K13, and I keep winning. Nothing’s wrong with this team, just have to communicate and adapt with the changes.

C-Webb is correct! It’s about playing together! The Lakers line up is too good to blame the coach for not winning. We all play basketball and we know that when we are on the court we are the ones who make our own decisions and moves its not the coach. Yes coaches gives you plays but in the majority of the game you play together without plays from the coach.

A lot bloggers talking about bringing Phil back that should solve theyr problem’s,it’s already to late to bring pjax back.
The hole they digg”ed it’s too deep,only thing what Phil can do is trying bring them on a play off spot.Even this is task is too big for Phil now!The hole is to deep,we need miracle’s to reach it.This is too much for Phil !!!
They better fire Mike get another ‘real decent’ coach and start to rebuild for next season!That’s the best they can do from now!Otherwise it’s a nightmare anyway!

Get A defensive PG to sub in for nash, one who can keep up Athleticly with guys like W Wstbrooke D Rose (Cant wait till he is back) C Paul etc etc. Nash is noy good enough or fast enough on the defensive end of things to keep up with these athletic younger PG.

Also…… D Howard needs to grow up abit more he is 27 and is still solcking and moaning take some of Kobe’s leadership!! he is not SUPERMAN of the Orlando Magic but D Howard of the LA Lackers a struggling Center.

LAKERS to finish strong before the break and become UNBEATEN after! come on LAKERS! Reach the Playoffs! Not nice to see NASH miss 3 playoffs in a row!!! FEED THE BIGS and get KOBE hot!!! Nash will run the role players well by giving them easy shots!

OK ok..Laker Mngt hear this, for your/our team to survive til playoffs(fingercrossed).If Pjax cant coach for Lakers, make him the Gen.Mgr or something like Pat Riley, then let Brian Shaw who understand Triangle thing s the coach. Make Dumbtoni earn his money by making him sweep the floor.Now we have a ballgame to play.

He should be called Mike Antoni cos he has no idea about D…
His system is flawed and it does require a special type of players that these are not.. (fast, athletic)…
7 seconds or less to get a shot… run and gun… that’s BS…
I knew he was a bad coach, I knew he wasn’t the answer but a 17-24 record just proves how this guy has no clue of basketball…

Look at the bulls, those guys play their hearts out every night… they have a coach that has zero tolerance for excuses, but all these lakers have is a guy who benches a player just because he doesnt think he fits in his lame system… that’s not coaching…

so, bringing back PJax wasnt possible… get someone capable…!… not this mediocre man who just stands and watch how his team get beat up by others that have 50% of the talent he has at his disposal…

I say get rid of Mike D look what he did to the Knicks now that he’s gone they are doing much better…. i see the same thing happening with the Lakers what they need to do is bring Phil Jackson and Lamar Odom back to LA and watch how he controls those superstars it will be Kobe and Shaq all over again but this time Kobe and Howard Championship… Mike D tears apart any team he coaches for… being a Lakers fan I was disappointed when they hired Mike D he needs to go before its to late…. there’s to much talent on that team to lose all these games…. he got Nash back on the court and he still hasn’t proved anything yet as he kept saying in interview when Nash was hurt…. the locker is now divided more than it ever was now Mike D is the coach… This team is reminding me of the Jets season we have hope but the team is falling apart because of one person.

Yes, DJShaq, I agreet with you. Certainly if they bring Phil back right now when it is stil time, the lakers will open another Chapter. Even though it will be just for this season, they will make history in the basketball league.

This is the funniest thing to happen in sports history. Bring back Phil Jackson (who was swept out of the nba 2 years ago)
Trade Kobe, trade MWP, trade gasol. This is why $ won’t win championships everyone. Ballhog Bryant will not get his 6th ring, at least not this season!

From the preseason up until now, the reasons for writers to write about the Lakers have changed drastically numerous times. But the main overall reason has always been that it’s the Lakers you write about when you write about the Lakers.
I think the time has come to realize that this rather unreasonable reason is the only one left.

Reading about the Lakers these days is like hearing news about a very, very old elephant that had a heck of a life. I am not referring to the individual players, those are great – on paper before, on paper in the season. So why not talk about young and surprising or old and fitter elephants right now and give this poor dude some rest?

There is not much to read into what’s going on with them, the bottom line is: the situation is very bad for some reasons we know and some we are unsure about. But it’s not about finding out any reasons but about a team finally living up to a fraction of the expectations it evoked. Until then, there are dozens of more interesting topics all over the NBA, for me.

Fire D’Antoni! He was never the coach for superstar stacked team’s,especialy older ones.I’ll never understud why nba team’s gives oppertunities to Mike D.,he failed big time with NY.I think D’Antoni could be shinning in the D-league,maybe!Kobe said in the past at a intervieuw; ” I know’s D’Antoni’s offence system’s like the back of my hand”.Kobe mented obviosly that D’Antoni is too predictable,no real insight just run n gunning without defence.
A good coach has to utilize all players avaiable,know his team each player capability’s.Get the best out of them,let the player’s understand what he’s real demanding before the game.A good coach has to be capable to keep his team together without trades needing,A good coach need to keep autority above the rest of the team!You c’ant see it with D’Antoni,his presence d’ont show real leadership.The Lakers need a coach like Doc Rivers,some one who kick’s theyre butt after bad defending games!!! I’m sure that Doc let excise his player’s on defence all the time .
Nasty training camp that’s what LA needs!Lakers play like they come on short with stamina,condition.
They need Spartan kind of trainingcamp between the season,a lot!
How is it possible that Bernie Bickerstaff realized more win’s on a short stage like loosing only one game at six?
I think he was capable let players creating chemistry between the group.
Jim Buss i hope you fire yourself one day!You ain’t a real gm,never will be!!!

First things first… stop dreaming about P Jackson, he will never coach the Lakers again he wants something else.

Ok
The awesome foursome are talking about how everybody needs to pick up the slack and do more blah blah blah….. Any basketball team is a team yes, one lets down it means he lets the whole team down but all the players are working pretty hard at least offensively we can see that defense is in trouble.
When it comes to any team the coach is responsible for putting the building blocks that he has and use them correctly, like a house builder he has the tools he has the supplies and the men only the boss can put all these together and in-vision and create a final product.

DanT has the tools and the men but he has an old vision, the same as when he was with the suns and WON NO TROPHY DANTONI needs to adapt and make something out of these 4 great future hall of fame’rs. How can he put Gasol as a reserve and expect the team to be its strongest. DANTONI needs to change his system to adapt to the tools and supplies he has to create a great product. IF both Howard and Gasol like post games give them the ball and let them work of each other.

Run and gun offense is not gonna work with this team and individual defense either. KObe is slow Snash is not the fastest MW Peace is slow as well and the big guys are not the fastest and the reserves…well they are reserves for a reason. The LA Lakers are slow on both ends.
I think they will Trade Gasol which will help them and Gasol, it should get them 2 or 3 pieces which will improve in spots SF SG reserve but weaken their PF position.. and Gasol gets his own team and be free of the LA rubbish.

BUT it should not have gotten this bad. DANTONI can not make this team work with an old vision and ancient concept of a final product…..DANTONI CHANGE YOUR WAYS or BE CHANGED

Hey Body, You have been very gracious to D’Antoni, but you should recognize that Mike D’Antoni is a team killer and player. He put Gasol on reserve not because he could not tread him right away. do you remember what Mike did to Falton from the New York team, and many others Now Falton is playing great with the New York again. D’Antoni does not fit in L.A. I think he should just go away and the team will do better.

The Downfall of the Lakers does not coming from the players, but fom the Head couch and the managers who have made bad decisions because they are too proud and too arrogants to humble themselves to get a good agreement with Phil the No. 1 Couch of all time. They managers failed to think with their brain but instead they have being more proud than thoughtful. They Choose Mike D’Antoni because mike is cheap and they forgot the poor career Mike had with the N.Y. Team. Nicks rejected Mike D’Antoni for poor performance. If that guy was rejected for killing the N.Y. Team, where in the world someone would even think that D’Antoni can do any good to the Lekers. Even though you he has the best Players in the world? Only a proud head couch and His managers would accept the deal of D’Antoni After Phil Jackson. I reject Kobe Bryant didn’t left together with Phil. Nevertheless, if they repent and change D’Antoni and call Phil for help to finish the season, the Lakers will get back to normal and win the Chanpionship.l

I’m not a Lakers fan, but in this case it is the coach’s fault. D’Antoni destroyed the Knicks last season, they wouldn’t have even made the Playoffs if Linsanity didn’t save them and look at them now, playing defense and winning. Lakers are 26th defensively in the NBA with a 2 time DPOY, a 7’0 PF, MWP and Kobe, which is really sad. Mike Brown was a better coach. He made the Cavs with Lebron and other average players a good defensive team and a 66-16 record. It was pretty stupid to let him go after just 5 games.

D’Antoni is a dumb coach..he can’t and don’t know how to coach talent..Phil knows how to keep Kobe in check, he knows how to use Gasol, and he would have a winning season with Howard.. yeah I agree with you guys..Jim Buss was stupid to hire D’Antoni..look at the Knicks now!!!!that’s why he got fired!!!!look at the Lakers NOW!!!!he SHOULD GET FIRED!!! Bickerstaf did a way better job than him!!!!! even if it was just for awhile

Bulls wouldn’t win 6 championships if ain’t for Jackson’s system. Bulls will still win championships because of a great talent of jordan and pippen but not 6 chmapionships. Buss made a big mistake by not hiring jackson who already proved 5x that he can make the lakers win championships in the modern era with the talent the lakers have now. Buss became so confident with bryant, howard and nash that it’s fine for him to hire a good coach like D’ Antoni and not the right coach like Jackson.

….The Buss’ ….like Cuban…..and George S. from baseball….Always think they are the smartest guy in the room…..because of the biggest wallet in the room…… But as the smoke settles, it has been proven time and time again that money doesn’t BUY ‘smarts’ in any sport…..just another example in sports history !!

The problem is very simple. The bigs aren’t getting their touch. over last 7 loses, howard got one game with 14 FGA others are all lower than 7. Meanwhile Kobe all over 22 FGA. I said it before the season, Kobe can’t play with true bigs and howard will sulk and whine his way out of LA. Mike isn’t the problem, imagine phoenix has D12 and gasol with Nash. They’ll be a formidable team but in LA it doesn’t work. Why? Because your lovely Bryant stops the ball. When there’s a chucker in your team, no guards wants to runs for screens, no bigs want to clog the paint and call for the ball. Not even nash can solve this. I BET a million that “if” LA trade Kobe, they’ll instantly get better.
When you have 2DOY, 1MVP, bunch of all-stars, you don’t need a chucker to shoot every game away.
Keep d’antoni, trade kobe.

The Lakers do need to trade, and they need to do it in February. I would jettison the following players and clean house now.
Pau Gasol
D12
MWP
Morris
Duhan
Nash
Steve (idiot who self inflicted his own wounds) Blake
AJ

I would only keep Kobe, Meeks, Hill and Clark.
Just take the guys who hustle on every play, and dump the rest. I don’t care if we get just average players like Ariza and Shannon Brown back in trade because right now, this team needs people who will draw charges, dive for loose balls, get and give hard fouls, hit a GD open 3 for a GD change jesus christ on a cross I cannot imagine an NBA player missing such a wide F’in open shot as all the Lakers miss on a day to day basis.

I love the Lakers, but this experiment is like two girls and a cup. And for the love of all that is holy, Dr Buss, please fire your son and give this over to your Daughter cause she is more of a Laker fan and has a husband who can be a HC right now. Jim Buss is worse than Jerry Jones as an owner. HE wants to win but he has no idea how and so he throws money at the problem and hopes it goes away.

Either this or in 2014 we let all the players go and use that nice chunk of money to rebuild another dynasty.

Trade them all for draft picks, force Kobe to retire and rebuild. Kobe is old and has always been a terrible leader. Hence why every great player he plays with complains about touches. EVEN SHAQ. To Kobe, it’s all about him him him. He does not like to share the spotlight with other players even if it means his team is a loser.

“EVEN SHAQ” lol….dude, Shaq of all people is the worst example. He complained about touches on all teams he played for! Penny, give me more touches. Kobe, give me more touches. DWade, give me more touches. Mike Brown (he was too afraid to say Lebron by name ’cause by now it was getting redundant) give me more touches. Puh-LEEZE

Gasol is better for D’antoni offense. Look at his numbers since he’s been healthy and getting most of his time with no Howard on the court. Trade HOward or fire D’antoni. If D’antoni stays start Gasol as center, he will handle the ball way better. Clark can play PF and then they have all players that can handle the ball.

I think you are right, trading Howard would make more sense. The lakers have been led to championships by Gasol as a center. Howard has been crying, looking at his butter fingers looking for the ball. Howard is too much of a kid and not enough heart. Besides, he has good value, there are plenty of teams out there that would want him and the Lakers could ge a good return.

please…just let them play there way!!!! They don’t need a coach right now, the’re all know how to play. They are the best players in the game so let them coach themselves. Any kind of coaching this great players who knows exactelly what to do, is highly destructing for them right now…it’s absurd! Let them do what they can best! Great coach would known that when to step out and just let players be themselves on the floor (expecially ones like talented LA starters- who should be smashing everyone easily) Phill Jackson known that, recognized that- and that why he succed. It’s only matter of chemistry and familly bond-wise attitude amoung those players. Phil would know that and would focus mainly on this site i’m sure, so LET THEM PLAY AND DONT INSTRUCT THEM HOW TO PLAY BALL- FOR GOD SAKE!!!

…YOU…..are absurd !!! Phil made Everybody do what they were supposed to do……NOT what they may have Wanted to do !! PS: Who would draw up plays for ‘out-of -bounds’ situations or last second defense….. flip a coin?? “Let them coach themselves”….. just a dumb thing to say.

we have arguably the best center in the league right now. why not use him more? doesnt it make sense to take more shots inside where the high percentage shots are? why take unreliable outside shots that just arent falling??? go inside to dwight and let him pound it in and take high percentage shots. worst that can happen is getting fouled inside and even if howard cant convert much, opponent is in foul trouble. when we have a center like dwight he should touch the ball at least once in EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION. if he doesnt get good looks, kick it out or re-post and try it again. as much as i respect kobe hes in a slump right now and hes not the young kobe anymore. dwight should take at least 15 shots a game and kobe needs to limit it down as well and get nash some more shots. theres another thing, why not let the best shooter in the team shoot more? also, forget offensive system. these guys are all HOFs. let them just play basketball like ernie bickerstaff did (only coach with winning record with lakers this season btw) and just focus on defense. i dont understand why they pay millions to coach like d’antoni

Dwight sux, Bosh is a better “ceneter” than him right now, as a matter or fact LBJ is a better CENTER then him period. Dwight is a big baby, wah wah wah give me the ball…oops I dropped it…coach I gotta boo boo…He needs to man up! End of story, how dare he have the nerve to disrespect one of the greatest centers of all time my man Shaq…He was a dominant center, he defined toughness with swag, and would literally destroy a rim on top of you in the process. Dwight shoulda stood in Orlando or went to BK with Jay Z…Once he stepped into the Lakers team he left the small leagues man, and should have been mentally prepared to do the job that big boyz do! hes far from being considered a top center in my eyes, still has alot of maturing to do, game development, and humbling. To quote a great center of the past, he gets the Dikembe “not in my house” finger wave of shame…

As long as DAntoni is the coach, the Lakers will not win. DAntoni only care about his stupid system works, whatever it takes, just to be able to say I told you so. But ofcourse its not going to happen, he is too dam stubborned and still doesn’t get it..

Laker fan all day!!! Regardless of where we are at the moment!!! Having said that the LAKERS DON’T HAVE A TEAM, THEY HAVE INDIVIDUALITIES!!! Coach D’antoni IS NOT THE COACH that can handle stars. COACH JACKSON IS THE COACH YOU NEED ON THE BENCH IF YOU HAVE A TEAM FILLED WITH STARS (4 Future hall of famers including Pau Gasol). D’antoni will not make them gel!!

Lakers are gonna bounce back…….they have to get things together and try hard enough to reach the playoffs.this team is more than capable of winning the championship but only lacks chemistry…..trading pau would still be a bad idea….he is a champion

Kamote, the reason of so many topics about the lakers is because everyone is surprised how a team that was bet to win it all this year currently have so many problems that probably they could not reach to make playoffs. I am not a laker fan, honestly I don’t like the lakers since the first day someone mention about kobe be the next michael jordan.

lol same here. that comparison should be dead by now. people made fun of jordan when he was on the wizards losing. KOBE IS ON THE LAKRS WITH 3 OTHER HALL OF FAMERS and they won’t even make the playoffs. LMFAO that comparison is not even close. MJ is #1. Kobe is #15 all time. Huge difference in between those numbers.

It’s annoying that people forget about players like Kareem, Wilt, Magic, Bird, Russell, Hakeem, Oscar, Shaq, Duncan, K Malone, Moses Malone, Lebron, Jerry West. Those guys to me are all ahead of Kobe. And with the year Kobe is having, I’m starting to think Charles Barkley is better than Kobe.

Championships are team achievements and are not won by a singular player. Shaq was the leader of the first 3 championships and for the first one, kobe was a 3rd option at times. Those players are better than Kobe, some are there due to longevity, most are there due to efficieny. If Kobe was an efficient player who made his teammates better, I’d have him in the top 10.

81 Points is 1 game against (at the time) the worst defense in the league. Of course it’s impressive, but I value other high scoring performances on a higher scale depending on the defense that it was played against. Ala Jordan scoring 60+ on the Pistons who were the #1 defense.

1 MVP and 2 Finals MVP should have been enough to make it into the top 10 all time if he was efficient. Hakeem had 1 MVP and 2 Finals MVP’s but also had 2 DYOP as well as being very efficient.

….R U Kidding me………3 other HOFamers !?!?!?!?!? …….Barkley better than Kobe……??? really !!?? PS: MJ is maybe #3.. ……remember they(the NBA) had to change the rules of basketball so that flying down the lane could be fashionable (and sell sneakers) and ‘Allowed” to win a championship…..so much for toughness……..they wanted all Flash All the time…..and now this is the product!! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !!!

Kobe can help himself on offense by getting his teammates better shots, something a leader should be doing. Howard can’t really help Kobe on defense. You want him to defend his man and kobe’s man at the same time. Kobe’s the worst off-the-ball defender in the league and even on the ball he’s not that great. It only looks great because refs let him play hack-a-defense and he plays up close, that’s why we see so many guys beat him with their first step.

They are the clown show for the rest of the country…….its very amusing!! It is so funny listening to all of the laker fans-(and of course….Haters)– who think Kobe is the problem…….yeah most teams would LOVE to have that problem……. a player who can hit ANY shot ANY time AND in the pressure of the playoffs….. yeah what a problem…… the problem is management deciding who is on the team and NOT the coach!! This is why Kobe can Never have a good young player to tutor….they are ALWAYS looking to make a big splash with a Big Name vet instead of grooming young players who would Love to be a laker and be able to play with a future HOFamer!! I’m no big Kobe fan but how can anyone say that someone as skilled as he is can be in Any way the ‘problem’…… I guess that makes MJ a ‘ballhog’ and selfish as well !! Just doin’ what it takes to win. If he needs to take 30 shots to win …then take ‘em . This would have been Mikeys fate if not for a ‘Loyal’ player like Pippen….and all the shooters that came and went in his title years…..Lakers had a chance but the EGOS were just TOOOOOOOO big……. and Talllllllll

Amnesty Kobe, resign Dwight. Howard has way more upside than Kobe. Kobe is an old man and he’s been awful past couple years. Hell he didnt even play well in the finals when they were winning. Look at Pau Gasol’s usage rating in those seasons and then look at his productivity. It’s amazing that one man can do what Gasol did with such little touches.

Don’t you Lakers fans realize this by now. Every player that plays with Kobe complains about touches. Shaq, Bynum, Gasol, Odom and Howard. The real cancer is Kobe. Laker fans seriously need to open their f’n eyes.

i agree…he wants touches but cannot even catch the ball..Dumbtoni really needsto manage kb24 playing time….40 minutes a game with no rest before 4th qtr not gonna work…he said it his legs are tired,Dumbtoni is pathetic!

LA LAKERS ARE BLAMING THE WRONG PEOPLE, ITS NOT THE PLAYERS ITS THE COACH!
Mike D’Antoni had an all star team last with NEW YORK and he got FIRED because he was doing a bad job and now look at them this year, they are second in the EAST without Mike D’Antoni. Lakers need to do the same thing and replace the coach and not trade the players, with the players LA Lakers have they can beat OKC and HEAT BUT this ONLY can happen with the RIGHT COACH. LAL we all know who we talking bout, the same men that won 5 NBA rings with KOBE. MR. PHIL JACKSON.

It’s not the coach. Even Phil had a hard time keeping Kobe’s ego in check. Hence getting swept with Phil by the Mavs in a better and younger teams than this. Putting together 4 players just because they are stars doesn’t always work. Especialy when most of them are old and one is coming back from a back injury. Also Kobe makes that offense horrible. He takes horrible shots and doesn’t let Nash facilitate the game. People call Westbrook a ballhog, lmfao it’s not even close when comparing Kobe/Westbrook in the ball hog category.

yeah and it was also melo’s fault in NY, not d’antoni. get real it’s absolutely the coach. he refuses to change anything, multiple players on that team have gone to him and told him they need to slow down the pace and feed pau and howard in the post, he still won’t do it. he still has pau facing up and/or shooting from the elbow and howard isn’t getting the ball. and defense is a problem for them as well. you think if mike woodson took over the lakers right now defense would be a problem?

in all fairness the players don’t seem too dedicated to changing anything themselves. it’s not just the coaches, it’s not just the players, it’s just the whole group failing as a whole. before it was d’antoni it was brown. before brown it was bynum. before bynum is was gasol. before gasol it was walton, vujacic, kwame, etc. even WITH philly boy there were only two championships without shaq, out of all of those years. you’re complaints do not compute. blame game ain’t gonna fix it either, in a stacked team with lots of experience they oughta be able to figure something out and adapt. if they can’t do that then they’re not a good team. it’s not any one person, it’s the whole group that’s recording L’s, it’s the whole group not playing defense. and the offensive gameplan shouldn’t lead to 0 defense, face it, it’s just a bad bad team right now. and EVERYONE involved is to blame, every single spoiled overpayed one of em.

…..yeah…just another smiling Ego-Bomb waiting to go off…..and it will when things get a little tight there in NYC. It WAS “Melo” as you call him……..Tom…… and by the way Dwight is no real power center(because he has NO go to shot or trademark move under the basket)….more of a garbage man cleaning up a ‘real’ shooters misses, so ‘feeding’ him the ball will just get him on that scary little foul line…..and we know what happens then…..aside from slowing the game down even more.!!! They need fast players that can really shoot….just not quite there yet….. PS: my guess is that #12 will be somewhere else next year anyway so why get so attached? PSS: All ‘great’ players had ‘great’ coaching and they will (if honest) tell you so.

>>>>>NO you idiot………..the inmates should NEVER, NEVER run the asylum!! Are you nuts…….IF the player, I guess that would be the Kobester, can be a better coach …THEN COACH !! Owners hire management…..Management hires Coaches…… and (it should be )the coach gets the players he wants/needs to run whatever system he uses. Its not like the lakers’ management didn’t know what kind of system that MD runs…….I think they thought they could just ‘plug it in’ and that it would be ‘flashy’ ……..just they way hollywood likes it. But then again, things don’t always turn out like the original plan. Injuries–new and old, players being over-rated, learning a new system and learning to play with ‘new’ players, ALWAYS working(or Not, in this case) on becoming a better defensive player/team are things that can derail ANY sports team…..and DO on a regular basis!! Just get the right players to run the system and maybe get in the playoffs……. next year!!

I wish there’d be more articles on teams who were actually winning. The articles go around in circles about the drama in Laker Land, basically the same story. True, they’ll always be considered as an NBA elite team (even if they don’t make the playoffs). But it would be a breath of fresh air to hear about teams that are actually able to work things out (even without having 4 future HOFs in their line-ups).

I bet there would be another LAL story once they win or lose 2 consecutive games…

This is true, but who cares about hearing if Memphis won a game…Unless you’re an actual Memphis fan, and then I’d just say “wow”. The Lakers have a prime market value and the game isn’t only abour the players its about publicity, scandals, and failure. Because then the media could quickly switch things up once they make the playoffs, and then say “we told you so” which would probably end up an actual headline, even tho the entire time they focused on the “losers”. It just makes for a better story, if there is no “peril” there is no triumph…

well drama sells is what it comes down to. and the lakers have been consistently great since the nba started pretty much. so to see them falling apart this bad is kinda big news. and cause on paper it looked unfair. but it’s all about drama, not news, not the game, it’s drama and politics. would you rather watch law and order, or would you like to watch carebears? you’re gonna choose the drama, danger, excitement, hardship, not the happy go lucky BS.

Yup. LAL is one of the best teams in NBA history and deserves the attention as a prime franchise. But again, an LAL story comes out almost every other day, but its the same story nevertheless. If the media, or even the league gives more credit to other teams, then non-US fans could have the choice to root for other teams, and actually watch them play on TV.

Truth is, the rest of the world is divided into LAL, MIA, BOS, NYK and OTHERS (teams like OKC, SAS, CHI w/ some exposure, but the others, unless they make a drastic change like LAC, then goodluck to them). You get to see, for example, a Bucks or Hornets game only when they are against one of the teams earlier mentioned. The articles online don’t help either since they’re just focused on “super” teams, divas and highlight reel players. That’s why no one cares if Memphis wins.

As NBA gets global, I hope they just stop feeding the rest of the world with a handful of teams and players. It would be a slow start, but it will be good for the league in the long run if fans gets to choose (and ultimately watch or read about) teams they can really root for.

I happen to be a Memphis fan and I care very much, thank you. Its viewpoints like yours that destroy the integrity of the game, the division of player potential. Why does it always have to be about the richest cities? Some of the best players, on and off the court, play for small markets, yet they neve get the recognition or praise they deserve because of that very reason.

trade ballhug kobe to a SG shooting above 50% and ranging 15-18 Shots a game…the one who can share the ball….
Balance is important in a team specially if it is composed of Some parastars without shine….Just beg to MIAMI’s administration how they shape the three stars into their game as one and united offence disregarding ego and considering sacrifices for a win…
Kobe’s career is finished…great turn to ashes which u cannot pick each piece and fix… Go home and plant tomatoes…

Kobe along with a Dirk are the only players in NBA with a no trade exceptions… which means you cant trade them without their consent, and if you did ur homework before commenting you woulda heard Kobe said he will finish his carreer as a laker, winning or not and Dirk said last week, that although his mav’s are competing for 8th place as well, he still wanna finish his carreer as a mav.

Let’s put this into perspective, Lakers are 17-24 at exactly half of the season, 12th in West. They already have 24 loss. In west, .500 will not cut for the playoff spot. It will take around 46~ or even 50 wins in order to get 7 or 8th spot. Now that means teams can only afford to lose MAXIMUM of 37 games. Lakers need to go AT LEAST 28-13 to finish off the season in order have a shot in 7 or 8th seed. That is .680 or in other words they need to win every 2 games when losing 1. Right NOW? Lakers have .414 winning percentage. AND IF THEY DO MAKE the playoff, it will be OKC, followed by Memphis then SPURS/CLIPS to have a shot in NBA championship. To be honest, they won;t even get around the first round facing OKC or Clippers. You can stick a fork into Lakers’ season because right now it is OVER.

Obviously the D’Antoni system is not working for this group. The current laker line-up is better off with the triangle offense. Considering their age and experience, Phil Jackson should have been their coach. Management is to blame for all these.

Lakers made a big mistake 2 years ago when they decided to trade Lamar Odom… While they have two tremendous big men in their team and Metta World (great defender) rising back this season, the Lakers aren’t able to find the chemistry…
Would be really sad to trade Pau Gasol for someone else (Dirk ? Josh Smith ?) and I’m not sure Howard is the answer on this team… Jamison could be also part of a trade bringing more punch and – above all – a 3pt threat… Well…why not Gasol and Jamison for Kyle Korver and Josh Smith ?

That is a great trade suggestion even if it will never happen… It would solve everything in one trade other then to bring back Phil Jackson as a consultant. That would please Howard and he would have to force himself to make it work.

Bryant is right! There has been a lot going on with the Lakers overs the past few seasons starting with the breakup of chemistry! Why change what was successful in the past?? Greed is what broke a legacy! The need to become Best is what made Lakers worst! I guess on the brighter side of things, you should never quit! Good luck next time Lakers!! If it’s change you desire, It starts within self but, others have to be willing, that said, on the same page to win Championships! No, one man can do it! Even the greatest player that ever touched the ball needed the help of his team mates to will the win of victory! And with that being said, you dont have to be a rocket scientists to determine what wins games, you just gotta mesh together with the help of an extraordinary coach to produce back to back Championships fellas!

Lakers got humilated again last night, the lakers players are starting to lose their value with their terrible performances, even if they decide to trade what team would be dumb enough to trade for any of those unmotivated unathletic lazy laker players?

The problem now with the Lakers is not really the chemistry issues (but yes there’s an adjustment for them to know each other’s strengths and opportunities), or injury problems or who’s coach should be fitting on the team, read this guys.. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SYSTEM!
The system of coaching, the system of their plays, the system of using each other’s talent and skill set, and the system of rotation of players. They don’t execute basic plays, they don’t do isolation plays for whoever is hot on the game, they don’t look for the minutes played and still sticking to the guys that’s not contributing.
There were no execution plays for 3-pointers (specially Jodie Meeks), they don’t feed the bigs prior to the weakness of their opponent (like the MIAMI HEAT) There’s no missing piece here anymore they all have to the right stuff (Big 5), what can you ask for? Bench players have the guts, specially Earl Clark whose just stepping up right now on the team.Just watch your games LA and you can easily identify what’s going on with your system, and when you start trusting each other and do better execution and successful plays it will lift up the morale of each of everyone and the enitre team and organization. Everyone will be excited, confident and motivated to play not thinking this will be another lost game………. it’s not too late Lakers! But hurry time is running out for playoffs. LAKERS GO!!!

I understand what people say, that Kobe can’t take the load on both ends and someone else has to step up. But I think his attitude of “I’m doing my part, we lose because you don’t do yours” is negative for the Lakers. Really look like a bunch of individuals forced to play together. Oh my, it all started with the failed Pau trade and then dealing phantom Odom. RIP L.A Lakers.

I agree but superstars do this all the time. I remember back in 2001 or 2002 when the wizards lost to the blazers (jordan vs pippen), Jordan stated “his mules were ready and mine were not.” to me he is basically saying the wizards lost thanks to his teammates but not because of him. chris paul wanted out of honets, lebron out of cleveland, howard out of orlando, melo out of denver— in all these situations they are pretty much saying i’m not winning because of my teammates fault so i need to go somewhere else.

Bunbury you’re correct it saying that this is the superstar attitidue, but none of those examples you listed had 2 of the best bigs in the game currently, and one of the best (although declining) PGs the leagues has seen… So I don’t think you can quite use the same comparisons there…

Now they’re not winning bc of the coach. It’s so hard to get Mega stars together like Gasol and Dwight and now he wants to get rid of Gasol? Once Gasol is gone, you can’t get him back at least for a few years that if he wants to come back. But u got Dwight left and i bet you the team will still not work. It’s bad coaching. Please give it to somebody who can coach! Fire Mike D or Fire the Lakers owners!! Impossible to fire the owners? Then Fire MIKE D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don’t know if its just the superstars problem. The players obviously can’t trust management and Phil’s not there to incite a us (the team) against then (management) attitude as he had done before. Am i wrong in saying he pitted the team against the bulls ownership for instance? When reading social science litt like Robert Putnam or Bo Rothstein its a effective strategy used to form trust within groups.
So what they need is for Dantoni to grow a pair and stick it to the ownership like Phil did and then the coach and players will have a common enemy in the front office. Its a quick fix and a drastic one at that but in these times the LA could use it.

That was the mastery of emotional management Phil had on his team. Redirect any kind of emotional stress away from each other. Dantoni just let Steeve Nash do that job in Phoenix and he tought that he had it tough in New york because he did not have him by his side. Now is a different ballgame, just remember when Shaq got to Phoenix and that actually weakend the team as far as chemistry. Actually the full year they had was so bad that they missed the playoff with one of the best Phoenix team on paper. That was the year when Shaq was complaing that he did not get enough touches and got more incorporated in the offence.

My verdict, either let the team figure it out with a disciplined coach that just holds everybody accountable or get Phil as a consultant to management cause he knows what is wrong with the team. As for Dantoni, he is a very good person and in his position i would even suggest to get Phil to mentor me or pull out cause he is obviously clueless and it is not his fault. Why not !! Will the Lakers have to rebust the team by trading Pau and realise that he is not the problem. Then again Phil was on the verge of getting him traded to…

I think some of the problem has to do with Kobe. I think Kobe has selfish agendas. I dont think he plays in the moment alot of the time. I think his actions are predetermined. I think he thinks about stats, rather than making the right play in moment. I believe basketball players should make the right play at the given moment, regaurdless of the play before. The Lakers should be killing right now. I think Kobe is too stuborn. Oh, I forgot about his wifes exspectations. lol